this is bbc news. the headlines at 4.00: jeremy corbyn says the shadow chancellor is right to look into a scenario where there could be a dramatic fall in the pound if labour came to power. if we're going to move into government we need to know what we're going to do, that's set out in our manifesto and we're putting a lot more detail into that, that's what this conference is about and that's what all the policy developments are about, but also look at all the scenarios that we might face. after meeting theresa may in downing street the european council president donald tusk says there has not been sufficient progress in brexit talks but that he's pleased the uk is adopting a "more realistic tone". this shows that the philosophy of having a cake and eating it is finally coming at an end. tensions between north korea and the us have worsened after pyongyang accused president trump of declaring war. thousands of children

harmed in the womb by the epilepsy drug valproate — some of their mothers begin giving evidence at a public hearing in london. also coming up this hour: the dangers of school rugby? researchers call for an end to scrums and tackling to reduce head injuries. go on, say you've never loved anybody else? i've never loved anybody else, shall i go and get your slippers? one of the biggest stars of the small screen for more than 30 years. liz dawn, who played coronation street's vera duckworth has died at the age of 77. good afternoon and welcome to bbc news. jeremy corbyn says it's right for labour to prepare plans for a possible run on pound should they go into giovernment. they go into government.

his comments come after the shadow chancellorjohn mcdonnell revealed to supporters that labour was carrying out a "war—games type scenario" including deciding what action to take in case investors took fright. you shadow chancellor suggested last night you might have to prepare for a run on the pound, prepare for the prospect of people taking money out of this country, why do you think people might do that? today in the treasury, there is a whole team of incredibly brilliant people looking at speculation against the pound, looking out runs on the prowl, looking out runs on the prowl, looking at the effect on the economy because exchange rates make a difference. john is making a the point that you have to look at all these scenarios. i read a book about these scenarios. i read a book about

the wilson government had to deal with speculation against the pound which was obviously very damaging to the social programmes he was trying to introduce. i thinkjohn is right to introduce. i thinkjohn is right to look at these scenarios. if we are going to move into government, we need to know what we are going to do, and that is set out in our ma nifesto do, and that is set out in our manifesto and we're putting more detail into that what that is what this conference is about. but look at the scenarios we might find. so thatis at the scenarios we might find. so that is a realistic scenario, there might bea that is a realistic scenario, there might be a run on the pound if you are elected. there has been a run on the plan for the last two years. is that what you think has happened? what it has done, it has made travel to europe more expensive, made imports more expensive, but the other side of the coin, it has made some exports a bit cheaper and therefore more market competitive. your chancellor was talking about something different. he was suggesting, however unlikely, people might want to take money out of

britain if he were elected. why do you think people would do that? i would hope they would recognise we wa nt would hope they would recognise we wantan would hope they would recognise we want an investment led economy, that we are going to increase taxation to corporations and the very wealthiest, in order to invest in the education of our children, invest in of and it would set up a national investment bank, which would provide a better basis for industrial development and investment in the future. it costs on the way there, but the benefits of decent chances of employment all round the country is something well worth working for. john mcdonnell also said you have to be prepared for what happens, when or if they come for us. who are they? people john probably doesn't like, i am not sure who he is preparing to because i haven't spoken to him this morning. but i think he is looking back at the experience of past

labour governments, both of the wilson governments had problems about that and i think we will need to look at all the scenarios. listen, we want to lead a government that would reduce inequality, invest in the future and, i have met with anjohn in the future and, i have met with an john has many in the future and, i have met with anjohn has many times, the cbi, the federation of small business is an about their investment plans and strategies. those conversations go ina very strategies. those conversations go in a very positive way because they wa nt to in a very positive way because they want to see a government that is working for economic improvement. are you comfortable with him talking about that, he is talking about people he doesn't like. he will be your chancellor, your closest political ally, it is sounding like you are approaching getting into government like some kind of war where people you don't like might come and attack you. isn't it about bringing people together? come and attack you. isn't it about bringing people together7m come and attack you. isn't it about bringing people together? it is about bringing people together but it is about changing the terms of the agenda. vicky young is in brighton, reading

between the lines, the prime minister —— jeremy corbyn is saying we are unified. i think they are saying, they are getting close to power, that is the message. they lost the general election, but they made a lot of progress and they think their message, the anti—austerity message is getting through and if there were to be a general election any time soon, they have a realistic chance of winning it. what we are seeing is labour laying out its platform, its radical, socialist and they are very proud of that. but this whole argument from john mcdonnell, it will be too radical for many people in the establishment, they will like it and they will come for any kind ofjeremy corbyn led government. he is talking about the media, the world of business and the civil service. the pfi contracts, bringing

them back into the state, renationalising the railways, the energy companies and the water companies, that is a radical stuff. it isa companies, that is a radical stuff. it is a big change and a big break with conservative governments and labour governments run by tony blair and gordon brown. it is different to what has happened before and they believe there will be some who will try and block that kind of progress. and that is jeremy try and block that kind of progress. and that isjeremy corbyn suggesting john mcdonnell is right to plan for these things. there is an optimism in brighton, we have seen that all week. yet, they didn't win the election, but some would say it wasn't as good a result you might think from the mood there? yes, there are others here, many of them labour mps who are pretty concerned that people are not being realistic and people are talking in terms of,

we won the election. they are worried they are not prepared for the amount of work still needed for the amount of work still needed for the labour party to do to win another 60 seats, how did they win potentially in the south of england, where will they get those seats from, where will the appeal go even further and went over the voters, those who voted conservative. we have had the arguments about brexit. something, the slight ambivalence of the position there has been from the labour leadership on the eu probably help them during the general election, people voted for labour thinking they were the party of remain and others voted thinking they were the party of leave. some think the party needs to be more realistic about the work that is needed, the tough things that will have to be done before there is the victory for labour. but there is no getting away from the fact there is this massive enthusiasm here and if

labour obviously can harness that and get their programme for government out there, that is why they are feeling optimistic. we are a weighting of those results on changing the labour party rule book, how significant would that be? that was being discussed last week and we know which way this is probably heading. it is all about how they choose their leaders. there has been various changes over the years and the compromise they have is 10% of labour mps would have to back a candidate to get onto the ballot paper. you remember the fuss when jeremy corbyn got onto the ballot paper. they needed more mps than that. this will be seen as a change that. this will be seen as a change that cements his position and the position of any future candidate from the left of the party. the wider rule changes are about giving the party membership a lot more power. we have seen that at this conference this week, even talk of mps being banished to the balcony, not being able to go down to the

conference floor and the members of this people have truly taken over. vicki young, thank you very much. after talks with theresa may in downing street this lunchtime, the european council president, donald tusk, said sufficient progress has not yet been made in the brexit talks, to allow the negotiations to move to the next phase. however, he said he welcomed a new constructive and realistic tone from the british government saying he thought the uk has abandoned the idea of having its brexit "cake and eating it". here's what he had to say. i feel cautiously optimistic about... the constructive and more realistic tone in the prime minister's speech in florence and of our discussion today. this shows that the philosophy of having a cake and eating it, is finally coming at an end. 0ur political correspondent

chris mason is in downing street for us now. it wasn't exactly cheerful? it wasn't. donald tusk is quiet and understated in his public demeanour. i was standing in the street about a metre away from his shoes, crouching down beneath the photographers behind me. i could barely hear his words. he was very clear in his analysis and what is interesting is, we get a little insight into the eu's sense of the extent to which the speech the prime minister gave in florence on friday has changed things are not. one of the central purposes of that speech was to act asa purposes of that speech was to act as a lubricant running up against the frustrations on both sides of the frustrations on both sides of the negotiations. what did donald tusk say question yes, he said he

thought the tone of the prime minister's speech last week was constructive and positive. he clearly though is not willing to be won over by those arguments we heard borisjohnson won over by those arguments we heard boris johnson articulate won over by those arguments we heard borisjohnson articulate these thoughts a couple of weekends ago, that brexit can provide sunny uplands both for the uk and the remaining 27 countries of the eu. but crucially, what was striking was that final sentence in a statement lasting about one and a half minutes from donald tusk when he said he did nothing at the moment sufficient progress had been made for the talks to move on beyond the things being discussed now, about this untangling the uk from the european union to the uk from the european union to the future trading relationship. did the future trading relationship. did the prime minister's speech in florence last week work? it has worked a bit, but so far, not enough. are you getting a feeling this is less about a negotiation

between the uk and the eu or about the eu waiting for the uk to come up with something that they like?” think it is about the eu waiting for the uk to come up with something they like. they will do three things, the irish border, what will be the frontier between the uk and the european union at the border of the european union at the border of the republic at the time of brexit to be resolved. they want eu citizens in the uk and uk citizens around the eu sorted and this divorce bill. there were references to money on the table in that speech last friday, albeit without any numbers. clearly, the eu has said it wa nts to numbers. clearly, the eu has said it wants to see, as they describe it, sufficient progress on those areas. that hasn't happened yet. the tricky thing, from the uk's perspective,

sufficient progress is one of those things that is in the eye of the beholder. what does it mean? all we know is donald tusk is not of the view we are there. he had breakfast in brussels with michel barnier this morning so we in brussels with michel barnier this morning so we can assume in brussels with michel barnier this morning so we can assume the words articulated here where reflected over the breakfast this morning. what that amounts to and when the uk crosses it, we don't know but the hope is it will happen next month in 0ctober. hope is it will happen next month in october. the listing to donald tusk this afternoon, it doesn't look likely. blimey, breakfast with michel barnier, lunch with theresa may, where is he having dinner? heathrow terminal five? we may, where is he having dinner? heathrow terminalfive? we had better stop. thank you very much. the united states has dismissed as absurd north korea's claim that america has declared war with them. tensions between the us and north korea are continuing to escalate, with recriminations and accusations on both sides. the americans have warned pyongyang to stop its provocations after it said it had the right to shoot

down us bombers. south korea has called for a level—headed response and warned that accidental clashes in the region could quickly spiral out of control. from seoul danny savage reports. american military aircraft preparing for a show of force close to the north korean coast. these planes went on to fly in international airspace near the east of the country, further north in the region than they ever have been. the us says it was a demonstration of their resolve. now, north korea has reacted to donald trump's threats and action by declaring the united states has declared war on them. translation: since the us declared war on our country, we have every right to take countermeasures, including shooting down us strategic bombers, even when they're not yet inside the airspace border of our country. the question of who won't be around much longer will be answered then. the white house, though, says it's absurd to think they're at war with north korea,

and is trying to strike a more diplomatic tone overnight. it's never appropriate for a country to shoot down another country's aircraft when it's over international waters. our goal is still the same, we continue to seek the peaceful denuclearisation of the korean peninsular, that's our focus. doing that through both the most maximum, economic and diplomatic pressures. it was a point echoed by the us defence secretary on a visit to india, jim mattis said diplomatic efforts were continuing. that is our goal, to solve this diplomatically, and i believe president trump has been very clear on this issue. but north korea's interpretation of us actions, and its proposed response is another escalation in this ongoing crisis. this former secretary—general of the united nations, who himself is south korean, says the situation is alarming. even during the height of the cold war, including

soviet union, they have never threatened to use nuclear weapons, unless they are attacked by nuclear weapons. but north korea has blatantly publicly threatened that they will strike the united states with nuclear weapons. so far, this has been and remains a war of words. but if american planes do clash with the north korean military, the risk of tipping into conflict increases dramatically. danny savage, bbc news, seoul. drjames hoare is a former british charge d'affaires in pyongyang, and set up the first british embassy there. he is a seniorfellow at the royal institute of international affairs, at chatham house, and joins us from our central london studio. at what point does posturing become

dangerous? who knows, there has been plenty of posturing over the years. i noticed the bbc on its web page had put out a list of the most recent announcements by the north koreans they were at war because of something somebody else had done. it is worrying. i think the precedents are quite good in terms of being able to defuse such issues but it does require a certain willingness on both sides to do it. according to the united states, north koreans are being provocative when they say we will shoot down your aeroplanes. but to me it seems equally provocative to me it seems equally provocative to fly planes rather close to the north korean border, and admittedly the sea border, which is always uncertain. so we have the two sides engaging in this war of words and

possibly being prepared to do something more dangerous. possibly being prepared to do something more dangerousm possibly being prepared to do something more dangerous. it is all being played out on social media, in the president's case and images you have just described. there the president's case and images you havejust described. there must the president's case and images you have just described. there must be something diplomatic going on behalf of the scenes? you would hope so, but there is no guarantee there is. the north koreans have met officials in new york and elsewhere as well. but the uncertainty at the moment is perhaps the us president and his tendency to give out, what you might think, are private thoughts over public media. and that is creating a new degree of uncertainty. no previous american president since well, any time that i know have conducted foreign policy in this way. you know the people of north

korea better than most, so when the leader says and describes the american president as a dotard, do the people agree with him? that was a translation by a news agency. what he actually said was this man is senile and that is slightly different. i don't know where they got the word dotard, but they are good at going through dictionaries and finding obscure words that ex presses and finding obscure words that expresses their contempt even more than ordinary words would do. i don't think dotard is a special word, andi don't think dotard is a special word, and i don't think that the north korean rhetoric is the same as the south korean rhetoric. that is much more thought out, much more arranged, much more planned than

what the american president's rhetoric. where does any possible solution in diplomatic terms like, is it with south korea, japan or china? i think it lies between the united states and north korea, that ina certain united states and north korea, that in a certain sense, each is preoccupied with the other. each sees its security is tied up with the other. until they can actually be brought to talk to each other, to negotiate with each other, you will continue to have this sort of tension and verbal escalation of a conflict. it doesn't say it is going to go any further, but it does create an atmosphere, a feverish atmosphere that makes it more difficult to do the one thing that would make sense. sitting in front of the tv and the radio, as i am sure that you do, are you worried?

not as worried as i think some people are. partly because i have seen people are. partly because i have seen many areas of people are. partly because i have seen many areas of great tension. i first visited north korea in 1976 after two americans had been killed by north korea. i was in seoul when the south korean president was attacked in rangoon. these things where terribly tense at the time with major reactions, but it did pass over. so there is some hope, but presidents can also be wrong. thank you very much for your time. during his election campaign, donald trump call the imprisonment of his rival for the use of her personal

e—mail when she was secretary of state. richard galpin reports. jared kushner... stephen miller, stephen bannon and lance previous, the biggest names to have reportedly use private e—mail accounts while working in the trump administration. jared kushner, one of the most powerful advisers in the white house allegedly using a private account to send or receive =e=é m 9:99 in“ anatzj

sound on the ,. , , but is mr iniut is mr iniut|whites mr iniut| white §i¥§r§ is - iniut| white §i¥§r§ has white house staff to use all white house staff to use government e—mailfor all white house staff to use government e—mail for official business and only use that e—mail. hillary clinton has accused the trump administration of the height of hypocrisy. her chances of becoming president were badly damaged by mr trump's focus on the revelations of her private e—mail accounts. richard galpin, bbc news. max kuttner is a senior writer on newsweek and is in our new york

studio. she used an account in the name of ivanka koleva sugar? yes, we don't see those words together often. so what's the claim here, is it of hypocrisy or something much worse? that is what we are seeing a lot people on the left saying in the past hours as these revelations come out about ivanka trump, jared kushner, stephen miller and this group of people under further people date on this and the further the oversight committee digs, they might find it is even more. we are still hearing about the hillary clinton e—mails, we had this as recently as last friday when president trump spokein last friday when president trump spoke in alabama, the crowd was shouting lock her up, the president

said you'll have to talk to the attorney general, jeff sessions about that. we are still hearing that rhetoric and there is this talk of this hypocrisy and the oversight committee will see if there is something there. what you and your publication is suggesting, there doesn't seem to be a lot of difference? there are important differences, the hillary clinton case involved several private e—mail servers. what we are talking about now, as far as we know so far, is only e—mail accounts. there is a difference in numbers. we have heard from jared kushner‘s lawyer, he sent about 100 since president trump took office. from a personal account involving government work. the hillary clinton case involved tens of thousands. there are important differences, but there is this hypocrisy, this was an issue the

trump campaign and people on the right focused on for months and months and if you listen to hillary clinton, ultimately contributed largely to her loss. in the form of the then fbi director making disclosure about her case 11 days before the election. looking at the claims over ivanka trump, there was an e—mailto the claims over ivanka trump, there was an e—mail to the united states small business administration. does it matter, it is not the content of these e—mails, it is the principle? some people would say it is the content, this was not confidential information, it was ivanka trump talking on working on women's entrepreneurship issues with this agency. 0thers entrepreneurship issues with this agency. others will say, it it doesn't matter, even if she wasn't a government employee, she had an informal, even if not an official role, but she was attending meetings with president trump and the

canadian prime minister at the time she sent that e—mail, she was attending different advisory meetings from ethics and legal experts, that she could have had access,if experts, that she could have had access, if she wanted to, to an e—mail account, even though the white house told me she did not have one. some people will say content matters, some will not. these are questions that will now see the oversight committee pursuing. thank you very much. the coronation street actress liz dawn, who played vera duckworth in the soap for more than three decades, has died at the age of 77. she first appeared in coronation street in1971i but after falling ill ten years ago liz dawn was written out of the soap when vera died in her sleep. herfamily said she had been the "love, light and inspiration" in their lives. 0ur arts correspondent david sillito looks back at her life. all i can say is i hope prince charles never sets eyes on it! admiring my stone cladding, are you? well, it's certainly eye—catching. certain neighbours may have been snooty about vera duckworth's taste, but without her, coronation street

just wouldn't have been the same. nobody'll dispute that! are you trying to be funny or what? aren't you going to carry her over the threshold? when liz dawn first arrived, she said she felt like cinderella, her palace, 9 coronation street. and prince charming —jack duckworth, played by bill tarmey. you haven't met my husband, jack? where's my dog? have you moved it? vera, i wouldn't have done, only it was an emergency! their ups and downs, the laughter — for fellow cast members there is much to miss. her kindness, generosity, natural comedy timing and talent, there was not much difference between her and vera in that they were both very grounded, warm—hearted, generous spirited, working—class women. will you make us some chips? oh, you're a right romantic! the marriage was a threesome, vera, jack and the pigeons, and despite the bruises, it lasted because there was something special in this double act. she was born sylvia butterfield,

home was the halton moor estate in leeds. i never really felt poor. because we always had love and nobody had anything in them days. she did all sorts ofjobs, from selling wigs to singing in working men's clubs under a new stage name, liz dawn. the money were good. i had three children under school—age and i really did it for money, singing at weekends. you'll hear from my solicitors, love. the tv acting work came at a time when directors were looking for talent that was natural, authentic, the sort of person you could truly believe would live on coronation street. you will laugh on the other side of yourface! get off me! of duty, liz dawn was a keen campaigner for the labour party and became lady mayoress of leeds. say you've never loved anybody else. i've never loved anybody else, shall i go and get your slippers? after 3a years of laughter and ups

and downs, liz dawn had proved she was one of acting's naturals, admitting even she didn't even quite know where liz stopped and vera began. coronation street theme. liz dawn who has died at the age of 77. the headlines are coming up. we will have the latest on the sport and ben stokes. first a weather update. sarah keith—lucas has the forecast. not dry across—the—board. there are a few showers across parts of eastern england, but most places avoiding them. one or two for east anglia, but they will fade away and

tonight it is looking dry. with clear skies we will start to see mist and low cloud forming during the early hours of wednesday. a murky and mild start to wednesday. there could be the odd fog patch around. through the day we will see rain arriving in the west. winds picking up too, particularly for northern ireland, some heavier bursts and for wales and the south—west of england too. turning wet and windy here. elsewhere across the country, you are looking at another dry day and it will feel warm with temperatures up to 21 celsius. through wednesday night, that rain works its way eastwards through into thursday morning. murky once again, but thursday, an improving day. that rainjust lingering for the northern isles of scotland, but clearer skies moving in from the west and temperatures doing well for the time of year. around 15 to 19 celsius. this is bbc news. our latest headlines: the labour leaderjeremy corbyn has given his support tojohn mcdonnell

after the shadow chancellor admitted the party was planning for a possible run on the pound if it came to power. mr corbyn said his party was united around the "different" economic strategy. if we're going to move into government, we need to a, know what we are going to. that's set out in our manifesto. that's what this conference is about and what the policy developments are about, but look at the scenarios we might face. following a meeting in downing street the european council president, donald tusk, said that although there had been no sufficient progress towards brexit talks, they were now on a more realistic footing. this shows that the philosophy of having a cake and eating it, it's finally coming to an end. the us defence secretary is seeking a diplomatic solution to rising tensions with north korea who are accusing washington of declaring war. liz dawn, the actress

best known for her role as vera duckworth in the soap coronation street has died. her family say she died peacefully in her sleep yesterday. now the sport with hugh woozencroft. england all—rounder ben stokes won't be available for the fourth one—day match against west indies tomorrow after he was arrested following after an incident in bristol in the early hours of yesterday morning. he missed training today, along with team—mate alex hales, who is also helping police with their enquiries. the ashes squad to tour australia this winter is announced tomorrow. ben and alex will not be available for tomorrow's 0ne ben and alex will not be available for tomorrow's one day international against the west indies. ben was arrested in the early hours of monday morning, 25th september following an incident in bristol. he was held overnight and released

under investigation without charge late on monday. he will notjoin the tea m late on monday. he will notjoin the team in london. hayles who was with stokes team in london. hayles who was with sto kes o n team in london. hayles who was with stokes on sunday night, did not train this morning and has returned voluntarily to bristol today to help police with their inquiries. you understand we can't offer any further details on this, but we will provide updates when we have more updates and information to give. how does it affect the players chances of ashes selection? so the selectors have been instructed to select the ashes squad based on form and fitness as they normally would. the lancashire spinner sophie ecclestone has been named in the england women's squad for their ashes, starting next month. it'll be the first time that captain heather knight has led her side into an ashes series. they leave for brisbane on 7th october. one of britain's most—successful 0lympians, jason kenny, has revealed he secretly retired after rio 2016, but has now decided to reverse his decision!

the six—time gold medallist said he walked away from track cycling because the sport had taken its toll on him physically and mentally. however, he now says a year off, and becoming a father, has helped him change his mind. i ended up kind of training again just because i enjoyed doing it and i got to the point we have a gym get—up at home because laura trains at home. i kind of felt well, i might come back myself. if laura can come back and why can't i? i did a few efforts and they weren't amazing. i felt like i few efforts and they weren't amazing. ifelt like i was 18. i never thought i would come back. i thought it was an age thing. i think it was because i was always flatten by training and just having that year out breathed new life into me, really. it's the return of football's european champions league tonight — manchester city take on ukrainian

champions shakhtar donetsk. defender kyle walker believes ‘nothing' can stop the premier league leaders at the moment. he's also enjoying his first season under manager pep guardiola. he's always giving us words of encouragement and i think the standard of players in the teams that he's managed in the past speaks volumes. so, it's a good motivation to have there, the calibre of manager that he is and hopefully we canjust keep manager that he is and hopefully we can just keep performing as we're doing. he always still wants more from us which is good for us to keep pushing us. tottenham will also be in action tonight, but without play—maker christian eriksen when they face alpoel nicosia in cyprus. he fell ill on sunday. the former chairman of newcastle united freddy shepherd has died. he was 76. shepherd served as vice—chairman, and later chairman of the club

from 1991 until 2007 which was during the period when they finished premier league runners—up under kevin keegan. he was instrumental in bringing alan shearer to newcastle for a then world record £15 million. shearer has tweeted his sadness at the loss of his "great friend". that's all sport for now. i'll have more in the next hour. schools should ban what's being called "harmful contact" in rugby for children under the age of 16 — that's according to researchers at newcastle university. they say all schools should ban tackling and scrums to make it saferfor children. last year, the four senior doctors ruled out a ban, but this latest research says the risk of head injuries and concussion are not adequately reduced by safety equipment. here's our sports correspondent katie gornall. he took a fearsome thump there. it's a fundamental part of the sport, but does it belong in schools?

today there are fresh calls to remove contact from school rugby claiming a ban would reduce injuries such as concussion. we are finding children have anything from our one in eight to a one in four chance of injury and these injuries can often be very serious, they can be fractures, ligament tears, dislocated shoulders that need operating and of course, concussion. the analysis found rugby had much higher concussion rates in children compared to american football and ice hockey but world rugby has issued a robust response saying the claims from professor pollock are not based on like—for—like injury statistics and her extreme and alarmist conclusions are simply not supported by the data. the risk for preteens is not unacceptably high compared to other sports. opinion on this issue is clearly divided. last year chief medical 0fficers rejected a call for a ban on tackling in youth rugby saying the benefits of playing the sport outweighed the risks of injury. there's nothing really scary

about it if you do it well. i like tackling and getting in all the rucks and scrums. but concerns about player welfare are being raised at all levels of the game — following another injury setback at the weekend, england international billy vunipola said he would take a pay cut to play less rugby. how to tackle the issue on contact and the impact on all players is an ongoing debate for all players. women from across europe whose children have been harmed by an epilepsy drug after they took it during pregnancy are set to give evidence at a public hearing in london which began today. it's thought that tens of thousands of children around the world have physical abnormalities or learning difficulties after being exposed to valproate in the womb. many women who were prescribed the drug for epilepsy or mood disorders say they were never told it could harm their unborn babies. our health correspondent sophie hutchinson reports. lillias and ian's son was diagnosed with severe learning difficulties

when he was three years old. it was caused by the epilepsy drug sodium valproate, that lillias took when she was pregnant. the couple say they'd asked doctors whether it was safe to take the drug while expecting, and later were horrified to discover they'd been wrongly reassured. devastated, upset, angry. just... i felt i was let down by the health service. it's estimated tens of thousands of children across the world have been harmed after being exposed to valproate medicines in the womb. it carries a 10% risk of physical problems, and a 40% risk of developmental disorders. today, a safety review by the european medicines agency will look at whether new warnings on pillboxes in the uk, and a range of other strengthened measures, are actually reaching women of childbearing age. the uk's medicines watchdog, the mhra, said it supports the review, and stressed it's important that women don't stop taking valproate without first discussing it with their doctor.

parents from across europe, like lillias and ian, with children harmed by sodium valproate, will give evidence to the public hearing, amid concerns that babies are still being damaged by the drug. are young people obsessed with the internet and social media? well it seems it depends who you ask. a bbc survey has found that many older people believe 16 to 22 year olds — known as generation z — are obsessed with life online. but young people themselves say that's not entirely true and they want to fight back against preconceptions of their age group. they say family and education is what's important. the survey has been compiled by radio 1's newsbeat, as nick rotherham explains. today, teenagers are often told they'll struggle for work and should give up on the hope of ever owning their own home, but a survey by ipsos mori which spoke to 1,000 16—to—22—year—olds and 2,000 from older generations suggests a quarter of generation z

are optimistic about their future. i spoke to this group in birmingham. success, ithink, is measured in a different way for our generation. it's almost like if you are able to make a living or survive off something that you want to do and you enjoy, i think that is labelled as success. the older generation not being optimistic toward us, what kind of effect does that have on the younger generation? like, if you are constantly told you are the doomed generation, you're not going to do very well, what kind of message or energy is that passing towards you? austerity has been a big part of this generation's upbringing. in spite of this, though, they are accused of being lazy. i think people stereotype and think teenagers in 2017 are lazy or always on the phone, but if you look and go to colleges, the people who want to succeed will succeed and if some people aren't bothered to work, i mean, that is their loss. one of the biggest differences between generation z and those that came before it is the changing attitude towards sexuality. two—thirds of 16—to—22—year—olds say they are only attracted to people of the opposite sex. that's a big drop when compared

to the 88% of baby boomers. i think our generation genuinelyjust does not care. they don't see couples and go, that's a straight couple, that's a gay couple, we just think, that's a couple, those two people are in love and it doesn't matter. no one cares. it's like, you just want to be who you are. if someone's happy, who cares? there is some agreement on the issues that are most important to britain, though, with all generations putting the nhs and making the economy work after brexit top of their list. we are expecting an announcement from dyson the hefr company about moving into a new field. let's talk to richard westcott who is our transport correspondent who joins me now. what we are talking about here and it has been rumoured for a while is james dyson, king of all he

surveys moving into a new area and i have got three seconds, electric cars! we're clear! i have been to a briefing with sirjames dyson and he is going to build an electric car. he has been working on an electric carfor he has been working on an electric car for two—and—a—half years. it sounds really exciting. it is another player in this market that isn't a traditional car maker. he says he has been wait wanting to do this since the late 80s when the si clone could collect the soot on a vacuum cleaner. he has got the motors in place. he is msayyisegzia as: -; é;3—:‘:::!r:=:ci§::" .. batteries and

got his eyeséiraé on? i think it has got his eyes set on? i think it will be in that bracket. he says it won't be cheap. it will use a different kind of battery, a solid

state battery. at the moment we have the liquid bat straos. the solid state battery is harder to get right, but they are easier to charge. they charge quickly and safer and don't heat up and that will be new. the motors, well, he has been developing those for years for his hoovers and things and he is working on the chassis and the car and all he will say is it will be radical and different because we don't do things like other people. is he excited ? don't do things like other people. is he excited? yes. he has been sitting on it. he nearly got caught out on the today programme when they grilled him about it. he has been able to say this is it. no working prototypes. but he said it is happening and hopefully within a couple of years we will see it. and presumably you will have more on this later? yes, i think so, whenever you like. i will wait for the invite. richard, that breaking news. sirjames dyson going into electric cars, thank you. in a moment a look at how

the financial markets in europe closed the day, but first the headlines on bbc news: jeremy corbyn says the shadow chancellor is right to look into how labour would handle a dramatic fall in the pound if the party came to power. following talks in downing street the european council president, donald tusk, says not enough progress has been made to move to the next phase of brexit talks in brussels. the united states dismisses north korea's claim that america has declared war, with the us defence secretary saying it is seeking diplomatic solutions to the crisis. hello. now a look at how the markets in europe have ended the trading session. it was an up and down day. a lot of companies that were doing badly, the tech companies were improving their performance, but ending the day down. 0il performance, but ending the day down. oil companies did well because

the cost of oil is close to a two year high. gains were limited by export companies hit by advances in the pound. here are some stories that have been catching the attention of investors. the card factory saw its profits fall by 14% to just of £23 million. that led to its share price falling as well. the boss of the credit reference agency eqiufax is stepping down. this comes after 143 million customers in america had their details hacked. some customers here in the uk were also affected. northern ireland is awaiting a court decision in america that could have a major impact on its biggest industrial employer. the canadian plane maker bombardier employs, more than four thousand people in the province. but several american rivals have taken it to court — claming it gets illegal state aid. let's start with bombardier. there

isa let's start with bombardier. there is a lot at stake here, of course? it isa is a lot at stake here, of course? it is a crucial part of the northern ireland economy. we have got to hope this can be resolved. there is often complications with state aid and new plane programmes launch aid as it is called trying to get the first orders in at the right price. let's hope it goes the right way and fingers crossed. i'm sensing there isa fingers crossed. i'm sensing there is a lot of politics involved because donald trump has been very vocal about the way that other governments subsidise their companies? surely this was mentioned on the prime minister's trip to canada, donald trump has made no secret of his statement about america first. this is the sort of thing he is going to go after. boeing, airbus, the big players they have the big launch programmes, especially in america it can be inside military r & d budgets. it is not an unusual situation but let's hope it can be resolved correctly.

the boss of equifax standing down at an interesting time, i think? the boss of equifax standing down at an interesting time, ithink? he is about to face a congressional hearing. 140 million people have had their data hacked. it is very debilitating when this happens to a business and i think it is worth saying there will be a big law change. people catching this programme, you will be phone up any company and say what data have you got on me? they have got nine days to give you an accurate response. the power who is holding what data on us the power who is holding what data on us is about to shift back into our pockets. let's talk about greetings cards and the card factory. losses, they have seen a loss of 14% in their profits. very interesting statement from card factory. this is a business that has nearly 900 shops this the uk. the uk is greeting card mad. we buy on

average about 50 or so you know a year which sounds like a huge amount, but what they announced todayis amount, but what they announced today is that have three pressures on the business. they have seen an impact on sterling on their manufacturing and the impact on wages and investment that they had to put in the business to keep it alive. it is lead to go that weakening profit performance and that's why we have seen the shares react as they have done today. 0k. let's follow that story later on. thank you forjoining us. that's all from me. simon. thank you very much. victims and their families have won a court battle, allowing them to seek damages over contaminated blood products. 0n the line is our health editor, hugh pym, who is outside the high court. we are talking about 500 claimants. this is quite significant. hugh pym, are you there?

hugh". are you there? hugh... i can hear you loud and clear. i can now hear you. there is a sigh of relief on both ends. so we are talking, this has come as a surprise because there were 500 claimants, but they weren't necessarily expecting to hear the news today? it is the beginning of a long process, they have been given leave to mount a substantive class action against the department of health over the contaminated blood affair going back many decades back to the 1970s, haemophiliacs and others who needed blood transfusions we re others who needed blood transfusions were given products, some of which had come from the united states which were contaminated with hiv and hepatitis and they were brought in in good faith by the nhs, but as a result in many cases contracted hiv or hepatitis and some of those caught up in it have died. some of the victims and their families

mounted a campaign for many, many yea rs mounted a campaign for many, many years for a public inquiry to be mounted. theresa may did announce that was going to happen, but this isa that was going to happen, but this is a separate court action seeking damages against the government and in court today they have been given leave to take it forward. the lawyers representing 500 or so victims seeking damages for all the pain and everything that they have endured in the last two or three decades. hugh, was the department of health fighting this? they were saying in sort essentially look, there is a public inquiry and that is where all this should be heard. so there is no need for a class action. but the lawyers for the victims were very, very clear that this did need to be aired in its own right. they are not con insed what sort of public inquiry it is going to be, whether it will really cover who was at fault and the extent to which there should be damages paid

out. so it was resisted by the department of health, but it was ruled that the action can go forward and the substantive case will start, it seems, in the new year. hugh pym, there from the high court, thank you very much for cherie m§777 served é? aiigé m555 fiéélméfi president is“; ' ' é? aiigé m555 fiéélméfi president ragtors union, . as president of the actors union, equity. hugh will be along with the news at 5pm. first, let's catch up with the weather. 0n the other side of the newsroom , weather. 0n the other side of the newsroom, sarah lieth lucas. —— sarah keith—lucas. it was a misty, murky morning, but the sunshine has been breaking through the cloud. it high pressure in charge, many of us stay dry into

this evening. at least. there will be rain approaching from the west courtesy of this area of low pressure that's approaching from the atlantic. 0ut there at the moment, as we head into the evening we've got beautiful evening sunshine. this is how things are looking in 0xfordshire. blue skies and fair—weather cloud around too. there area fair—weather cloud around too. there are a few showers av. ,. eiaéw: , it well be but murky. so those temperatures quite murky. so those temperatures around about 13 celsius to 15 celsius. but just bear around about 13 celsius to 15 celsius. butjust bear in mind that some of that fog could be causing a little bit of disruption towards the south east england. for scotland, the odd misty patch here too, but a dry, bright morning and sunshine to start the day for northern ireland too. but things will be clouding over. the 7&35 for too. but things will be clouding over. the whiz? ' sunny . for too. but things will be clouding over. the iii—iii sunny spellsr 5, . i

gift? mgfl— m front rain .. the of that rain. but . the of thi the n. but the 27:7 , m f , the the 7 4 a; iiuzr: -‘